Retardation in Intellectual Development of Lower-Class Puerto Rican Children in New York City. Final Report.

Thomas, Alexander

To study the home environment of the Puerto Rican as it relates to the children's academic achievement, 45 working class families were interviewed and these variables were investigated: achievement, classroom behavior inventory in relation to academic achievement, the effect of bilinguality on academic achievement, the influence of examiner testing style on the WISC performance, and the stability and change in IQ of Puerto Rican preschool children as compared to white middle class children. The results indicated that parents were greatly interested in multiple aspects of their children's education, and although these children were generally below the norm in reading ability, the fault seemed to lie not with home environment but with the school. It was found that the behavior inventory of the children with highest reading levels was in the upper half of the scoring range and those with the lowest reading scores were in the lower half. Bilingual children did not appear to have a language development deficiency, but examiner testing style did appear to affect total score. Over a 3-year period, the intellectual level of both Puerto Rican and white middle class children tended to remain fairly stable. (JM)